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'Next Springboks fly-half' Feinberg-Mngomezulu signs new Stormers deal
Emerging Stormers talent Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has signed a new contract with the United Rugby Championship club, keeping him in Cape Town until 2027.
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The 22-year-old made his Stormers debut two years ago in a quarter-final victory over Edinburgh in their URC title-winning campaign.
Despite coming through the junior ranks as a fly-half, he has primarily been used as a centre for the Stormers alongside South Africa No10 Manie Libbok.
Though uncapped by the Springboks, the former South Africa U20 international was included in Rassie Erasmus’ alignment camp earlier this year.
“I grew up in Cape Town supporting the DHL Stormers and my experiences in the senior squad over the last three seasons have been amazing,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu said after signing.
“We have some incredible players here and I want to keep learning from all of them and the coaches. I’m really excited about what we can all achieve together in the future,” he said.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson added: “Sacha has been earmarked as a generational talent since he was a schoolboy and it has been great to see him break through into the senior ranks in the last few seasons.
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“Now that his future here is confirmed we are looking forward to seeing him develop further and fulfill the potential that is clear to anyone who has watched him play.
“He has the ability to become a world-class flyhalf and we want to equip him with everything he needs to do just that.
“Our intention is to retain the top talent we have here before looking elsewhere and this is the first of a few announcements that we will make to show how serious we are about continuing this project and keeping the bulk of our current squad together until at least 2027.”
This announcement has come just days after former South Africa captain Victor Matfield predicted Feinberg-Mngomezulu to be “the next Springboks fly-half”.
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Speaking at a Vodacom URC media call, Matfield singled out the fly-half’s pinpoint kicking as what sets him apart from his rivals.
Such is Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s goalkicking ability, that he will take on the kicking duties when on the field with Libbok.
“I think he can take the ball to the line and he’s got a big kicking game,” South Africa’s most capped player said.
“As a schoolboy his goal-kicking was outstanding.
“I would like to see the Stormers throw the ball to him and let him take over the kicking, even if he plays No.12. Let Manie just play and then he [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] works himself into that No.10 jersey.
“As a schoolboy, I haven’t seen a No.10 like him. He was outstanding and at Under-20 level as well.
“At junior levels, he was just in a different class.
“We haven’t seen him in that No.10 jersey at senior level a lot – we’ve seen him once or twice.
“I love Manie and he’s got such good qualities, but there is a lot of talk about whether Manie will make that step up. He’s had a few opportunities.
“I like Manie and he is great, but I would like to see us give Sacha more opportunities.”
He seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is.
Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa!
He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
Make what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.